Holiday Sale: free worldwide shipping through Cyber Monday!

Visit my shop for free shipping on all items listed now through Monday!

I'll be listing new items all weekend, including kids and babies hats, and footbags...

Sale ends 11/30 at midnight; see my etsy home page for more details.

it's almost sale time: the holiday shopping season is upon us...

Happy Holidays!

This weekend while I'm not enjoying quality time with the family, stuffing my face with turkey, or tromping around the mountain on my snow shoes, I'll be preparing new items for my next local show: The Portland Formal Holiday Artisans Fair happening at the Chelsea Ballroom on December 6. I'll also be listing some new items in my Etsy shop: I've been working on some new crochet hats, earrings, and footbags.

But I also have my own holiday shopping to begin. That's why I'm attending the Portland Arts Bazaar on Sunday to shop for local handcrafted wares at the Pioneer Courthouse Square.

Are you ready for Black Friday? Cyber Monday?


If you're anything like me, you've made a mental gift list but haven't yet started the great search for the perfect present for everyone on your list.


Avoid the crazy mobs at your local retail stores and get great deals instead on some one-of-a-kind items! Start crossing people off of your list this long weekend at Etsy.com, where you'll find specials and sales in many shops, my own included! Sales begin on Black Friday, 11/27 and go through Cyber Monday, 11/30/09.


What's new at Life Adorned? What special deals can you find in my shop this weekend? More details coming soon!

Downtown Portland Holiday Artisans Fair: This Friday!

Join us this Friday for a relaxing shopping experience before the rush of the holidays kicks in...

Cross a few people off of that gift list early!

Date: Friday, November 20, 2009
Time(s): 10am-6pm

Location:World Trade Center Plaza
121 SW Salmon St
Portland, OR 97204

DETAILS:Free pastries and coffee make this event the perfect break in the day for downtown employees looking to support our local economy. Conveniently located in the covered pavilion of the World Trade Center Plaza, more than fifty vendors offer shoppers quality handmade goods ranging from fragrant handmade soaps to personalized gifts, original photography, and much, much more. And, for those shoppers seeking a bargain, look for specially marked items for $5, $15 and $20 from participating vendors.

This year, Handmade NW (http://www.handmadenw.com/) partners with p:ear (http://www.pearmentor.org/) as a benefactor for this event. p:ear will host an information booth for those looking for more ways to support their agency.

This event serves to support an economy of crafters and artisans who have committed to bring quality handmade goods to our community. The recipient of the handmade gift receives something that is one-of-a-kind, and made with care and attention that can be seen and touched. It is the result of skill and craftsmanship that is absent in the world of large-scale manufacturing. Handmade NW encourages all to support the local economy by buying local handmade gifts this holiday.


See a list of vendors for this show HERE!

Flyer design by: Sweet Bonny.

Adventures in Tapestry Crochet (more than meets the eye!)

tapestry crochet is a colorworking technique where you work with two or more yarns at the same time to create color patterns and pictures in crochet. very simple patterns as well as more complicated multicolored tapestries can be created with this technique.

one yarn is worked while the other color is carried underneath the stitches. to change colors, you switch the working yarn with the carried yarn while completing the stitch before the color switch.

sounds confusing? it's not at all! visit tapestrycrochet.com for more information on how to get started. this website is full of great resources including books, videos, free patterns, and a history of tapestry crochet around the world.

after learning a bit about this form of crochet on ravelry.com, i decided to give it a try. my first project was this hat, with which i learned to create my own pattern in the round. i was pleased with the results, but the tough thing about it was keeping an even tension. i tend to crochet pretty tightly, and i hadn't noticed until it was too late that my hat's brim was getting tighter and tighter. oh well, it's now a preteen hat instead of an adult hat! i'll be listing it for sale on etsy.


my second tapestry crochet project required sigificantly more designing and planning...

READ MORE...